Maybe years from now we'll see a "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (Special Edition)."
Lucasfilm

UCLA film school undergrad Michael Barryte of the Belated Media YouTube channel suggests a hypothetical story alteration to "Star Wars: Episode 1" that seems much more engaging than the original.

"Initially I wanted to do something on Episode I because of the rerelease, but I didn't want to bash the movie, because everyone's done that," Barryte told Crave in an e-mail. "So I started doing a video highlighting all the things that were good about the film, and that evolved into me just going through and taking those key points and 'rewriting' the whole thing."

I don't think the prequel is a total dud, but even I have some difficulty keeping track of the many plot holes and twists and turns in the story. Then there's the matter of the outspoken Jar Jar Binks, which is not exactly the most popular character in the Star Wars universe.

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Watching the video below, you start to see the many parallels between the original trilogy and the prequels, but Barryte suggests a few fundamental changes that could make the story more compelling.

For example, one idea revolves around Darth Maul never dying in the first movie, setting the stage for an epic duel between the Sith and a vengeful Obi-wan in the second. We won't spoil the rest, but I think many of you out there will agree with some of these suggestions.

Should we expect more videos from Barryte? "I definitely have to do Episode II and III, which is going to be tough, especially since Attack of the Clones goes all over the place," he tells us, "but I feel if things are streamlined and more about the characters and less about the action, things should turn out all right."

About the author

Crave contributor Christopher MacManus regularly spends his time exploring the latest in science, gaming, and geek culture -- aiming to provide a fun and informative look at some of the most marvelous subjects from around the world.
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